I'm Ashton, I write novels, short-fiction, and have no idea where that yeti went…

Short Fiction

Below is the latest chapter from A Man of the Mountain, the prequel to my first novel, Whiteout, which just released. It tells the story of a man who just wants to keep the Bigfoot legend alive and the monster hunters who want to stop him.

For those who want to read Whiteout, it’s out now on all platforms and currently holds a 4.5/5 on GoodReads with 22 reviews in so far! Order below and share my work if you like it! It’s also free for Kindle Unlimited members!

9. The Spiral

The hike down the mountain had taken hours, but the return trip passed by in a series of blurs. Miles were gone in seconds, and half the time, Jonas barely felt in control of his own feet. A red tint had come over his world, casting everything in dim light. He tried to keep up the guise of being just another hiker on the trail, but with each passing minute, it became more difficult. Primal instincts surged just behind his eyes, telling him to run, slash, and hunt down those who threatened him. He thought of Mansen’s smug face and had to stifle a howl.

Going down there was a mistake. I left town for a reason. Hearing Mansen debunked so flippantly felt like a bullet to the chest. Hell, maybe a bullet would have been easier. In less than five minutes, the man who had been his idol had been brought lower than low. Had Mansen been accused by anyone else, Jonas might have been able to deny it, but not Shirley. Hearing her frustration with the man made it all the worse. Not only was Mansen making a mockery of the legend, he was disrespecting the only people willing to tell the truth.

Jonas’s body was a raging furnace, each breath feeling like the vent of a volcanic fissure. Hardly noticing, he stepped off the main trail and onto the paths only he knew. His legs were numb and mechanical, continuing to move without any real effort. After a mile or so, nearly to the cabin, he checked his surroundings to ensure there were no cameras, and no curious hikers. Satisfied, he let out a roar of rage and anguish, and fell to his knees. He beat his hands into the melting snow until he reached the forest floor. The impact of his fists on the soft earth beneath felt righteous. He smashed and pounded until his blood poured from his knuckles and his joints were swollen. Tears ran down his cheeks, carving clean lines in the dirt.

The television special was supposed to bring renown and grounding to the legend, but instead, it would become a joke. Mansen was supposed to be a member of a secret society, not the laughing stock of it. Eventually, Jonas’s adrenaline waned and weary exhaustion flooded his limbs. Lances of pain shot through his beaten hands. Through his anger for Mansen, he began to see images of Nick Ventner. It was a silver lining through the haze of pain, anger, and fatigue. Mansen might not be the hunter Jonas needed to face, but Nick might be. Jonas had seen the pistol concealed on Nick’s right hip and how he had casually dropped his hand to it when approached. If nothing else, he knew about the legend, and had some training.

The thought gave him the will to stand. Jonas pushed himself to his feet wincing with every ounce of pressure on his hands. That was a dumb thing to do. He looked at his bruised knuckles, blood oozing from the places he had beaten raw. There’s still so much work to be done. Jonas walked to a snowbank and shoved his hands into it. Icy tendrils of beautiful, numbing pain worked their way through him. The mountain provided, and he would provide for it. The legend wasn’t going to die, it was going to grow.

I have been given a gift, he reasoned. In the end, Rick was going to be a far easier kill than previously anticipated. There was still the issue of getting past his crew, but Jonas hardly spared them a thought. The real challenge was going to be taking down Nick. Two high profile kills in one day. Even if he died and was exposed, he would go down as the man who was dedicated to the legend above all else. Who knows? Maybe Shirley will write about it.

When his hands were sufficiently numb, Jonas removed them. The air might have been cold, but it felt like the breath of a dragon. His fingers thawed, and steam rose off them into the chilled air. With each passing moment, he felt righteous purpose building. There was still work to be done, and glory to be had. A fight was coming whether Mansen deserved it or not. One way or another, the legend would be made in a few days’ time.

Reinvigorated, Jonas trudged back in the direction of the cabin. As he approached it, he immediately noticed a package far larger than the usual drop. His employers had always stuck to the routine, and anything that broke it was suspicious. With some trepidation, he approached the parcel and tried to pick it up. He managed, but it was far heavier than what he was used to. He half carried, half dragged the box into the entryway of the cabin and shut the door behind him. He unclipped the knife from his belt and sliced through the tape to open it.

The first thing he noticed was a large sheet of yellow paper with a note scrawled on it. Welcome to the big leagues, kid. Sounds like Mansen is going to be coming up the mountain soon. You know what to do. Hopefully these gifts will help you level the playing field.

Cheers, Management.

P.S. Good to see you getting into town a little bit. I hope you will take the liberty again in one year’s time. Until then, stay on the mountain, there’s work to do.

Any trepidation he had felt evaporated. The note cemented exactly what it was he needed to do. Clearly his employers also knew there was going to be a fight, and if this wasn’t tacit approval, he didn’t know what was. Unable to contain his excitement, Jonas began pulling out the contents of the box one-by-one. Christmas had come early.

It was an entirely new set of gear. The suit he pulled out was far thicker and appeared to have a layer of Kevlar beneath it. It was the closest thing to bullet-proof he was going to get. Next, there was a set of claws made to look like bone. Silver glinted beneath the ivory white curves of each nail. Shining razor edges had been embedded beneath them. It was light and allowed for more movement than the older model. The rest of the gear followed suit with higher functionality and theming than the suit he had previously worn. The final addition nearly took his breath away.

At the very bottom of the box was a full headpiece. It had been molded to sport a long, pronounced, forehead, overgrown with fur, followed by deep-set eyes and a mean jaw. The effect was so lifelike that it looked as though it could have been severed from the actual shoulders of a sasquatch. Jonas held it in his hands with great care and lowered it onto his head. Initially, there was pitch black inside, but after a few seconds, screens illuminated where the eyeholes would have been. The dark interior of his cabin lit up in shades of red and blue.

Jonas raised a hand in front of him and marveled at the white-hot center, fading to red around the edges. A wave of deep gratitude swept over him. No one had ever given him such a gift. The playing field hadn’t just been leveled, it had been flipped. Mansen isn’t going to stand a chance…

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Happy Friday everyone! Apologies for the hiatus, I’ve been doing a major edit/rewrite on some of the earlier chapters of this story. Will update the chapters on the site!

Below is latest chapter from A Man of the Mountain, the prequel to my first novel, Whiteout, which just released. It tells the story of a man who just wants to keep the Bigfoot legend alive, and the monster hunters who want to stop him.

For those who want to read Whiteout, it’s out now on all platforms and currently holds a 4.5/5 on GoodReads with 22 reviews in so far! Order below and share my work if you like it!

8. Something Really Stupid

The set was not far from the liquor store, Nick’s first priority. Nick barely waited for the car to stop in the forestry center parking lot before hopping out to look for Mansen. Almost immediately, he spotted Mansen’s trailer, and went straight for it, moving like a hungry dog. Without hesitation, he marched through the door like he owned the damned thing.

Shirley followed behind, exchanging nervous glances with many of the production crew. Luckily, none of them seemed keen to act on the intruder, and instead were content to gawp. She hurried to catch up to Nick, not wanting to miss what was sure to be a spectacular confrontation.

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Happy Friday everyone! Here’s the latest chapter from A Man of the Mountain, the prequel to my first novel, Whiteout, which just released. So far, the reception for Whiteout has been more positive than I could have ever hoped for (4.75/5 on GoodReads, a very positive Kirkus review, and 4.8/5 on Amazon). Order links are below, and if you can share this post or links to the book around. Every like, retweet, share, or rant in a crowded elevator helps!

7. The Busy Bee Diner

Shirley sat at the counter of a local chain diner, sipping a cup of watery coffee. In one sense, it was disgusting, in another, she needed whatever caffeine it might have been providing. Her hands shook, partly from lack of sleep, and partly from the rage induced by the full-grown toddler that was Rick Mansen. In all her years at the tabloid, she had never witnessed such a parade of idiocy. At least when George had brought a UFO convention to town, they had believed in what they were selling. Mansen was just a ratings whore hiding beneath a paper-thin shell of bravado.

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Happy Friday everyone! After a long session of writing with the door closed, I’ve edited a few more chapters of Man of the Mountain and will be sharing them with you all. I’ll have one or two more to share in the next week or so. Also, apologies for the still very WIP logo. I’ll fix it soon.

For those who don’t know, Man of the Mountain is a prequel to my first novel, Whiteout which just released. So far, the reception has been more positive than I could have ever hoped for (4.75/5 on GoodReads, a very positive Kirkus review, and 4.8/5 on Amazon). Order links are below, and if you can share this post or links to the book around. Every like, retweet, share, or rant in a crowded elevator helps!

6. Obsession

Jonas could not contain himself. He sat on the edge of his chair as the camera panned up to reveal Rick Mansen standing in front of Clearwater Mountain. Chills ran up and down his spine as he imagined just how close Rick was. They’ve come, and they’re going to investigate. He looked up to the walls, running through the list of his grisly exploits and said to them, “It was all worth it.”

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Alright, for Friday I figured I’d share some lighter fare. Here’s a chapter from A Man of the Mountain introducing Rick Mansen, an overconfident myth-hunting television host with a degree in cryptozoology. If you need to catch up, the links are below, but I think this chapter is pretty funny on its own too. If you haven’t already, please add Whiteout on GoodReads and share our pre-order links below!

5. The Greatest Showman

“The small town of Clearwater, destination for local hikers, and home of the famous Clearwater Falls, is under attack.” Rick Mansen strode over to prop himself up against a map of the mountain’s hiking trails. “Ten deaths in the last five years, all explained away as ‘bear attacks’.” Mansen cocked an eyebrow at the camera, sharing a ‘we know better’ moment with the viewers at home.